Indian PM to headline BIMSTECS summit in Thailand

Sources reveal that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be among the key figures at the upcoming Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTECS) summit.

The summit, themed Towards Resilient Regions, Prosperous Economies, Healthy People, marks the 5th gathering of this crucial bloc. Leaders from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have already confirmed their attendance. Originally slated for last year, the summit was postponed but now promises to be a pivotal event.

Thailand, the current BIMSTECS chair, embraced the slogan PRO BIMSTECS, symbolising prosperity, resilience, and openness. The chair aims to foster peace, stability, economic growth, and sustainability within the Bay of Bengal region.

India is also set to host a BIMSTECS foreign ministerial retreat in New Delhi on July 11. This follows Thailand’s efforts last year, which saw retreats in Bangkok and New York to discuss pressing regional and international issues and plans.

During its chairmanship, Thailand elevated BIMSTECS to an intergovernmental organisation by signing the BIMSTECS Charter and formulating the Master Plan for Transport Connectivity. Thailand has championed cooperation in key sectors such as maritime, land, digital, and grid connectivity, as well as enhancing people-to-people ties to realise the vision of PRO-BIMSTECS, reported Thai PBS World.

Bangladesh is poised to take over as the next BIMSTECS chair from 2026 to 2028. The organisation’s headquarters is situated in Dhaka.

In related news, Thailand unveiled its ambitious plans for the 12th Tourism Ministerial Meeting (TMM12) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which took place in the Republic of Peru from June 5 to 9.

Deputy Government spokesperson Radklao Inthawong Suwankiri announced that this crucial summit focused on acknowledging and endorsing the progress made under the APEC Tourism Working Group (TWG) Strategic Plan 2020 to 2024 while setting the stage for future tourism cooperation across member economies.

In other news, Prime Minister Srettha confirmed that Thailand and Bangladesh are keen on pursuing a Free Trade Agreement. The two nations signed a letter of intent in April to speed up the negotiation process, marking a significant milestone in their collaborative efforts.